Aljamain Sterling eyes April return against Arnold Allen or Brian Ortega: ‘I’m still chasing that gold’

MIAMI – Former UFC bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling isn’t done hunting for gold.

“The Funk Master” has already left his mark on the UFC’s 135-pound division by capturing the title and recording three defenses. After dropping the title to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292, Sterling (24-5 MMA, 16-5 UFC) moved to featherweight, picking up a big win in his divisional debut over Calvin Kattar at UFC 300.

Given his name and status as a former champion, he was likely one win away if he could get past the undefeated Movsar Evloev at UFC 310. Unfortunately, the judges weren’t on his side that night, initially causing him to question his fighting future.

“A lot of fans don’t think I lost that fight,” Sterling told MMA Junkie. “I watched it back a couple times now, and I still don’t think I lost the fight. Obviously, the judges are the judge, so whatever they say is going to stay in the history books. I would love to run it back with him, if not, maybe fight Arnold Allen, Brian Ortega.”

As a 1-1 fighter at 145 pounds, Sterling, 35, remains confident that a path to the title is still viable. For now, the talk of retirement has subsided. The fights to come must have meaning, though. Sterling wants to get his hands on the featherweight title, and is open to going down whatever path that may require.

“I want to fight up,” Sterling said. “I don’t really want to fight down, but if I have to, to prove my worth again, then it is what it is. I’m still chasing that gold. If I could get a second gold belt, man, that’s another legacy thing that people can’t take away from me.

“So, I’m chasing history at this point. Of course, the paychecks are good, but I’m not fighting just to be in there to say I’m fighting. I’m in there to beat the best guys. I’m in there to say I fought the best guys, and that’s what it’s about for the rest of my career.”

Sterling currently sits at No. 9 in the UFC’s featherweight rankings. Evloev holds the No. 4 spot, while the names he mentioned as potential next opponents, Ortega and Allen, hold No. 6 and 7 respectively. While he’s a little further down the ladder than he would like, Sterling remains confident a win or two would put him right back in the title mix, especially considering the uncertainty of the current champion, Ilia Topuria.

“I’d say (I’m) maybe one or two fights away,” Sterling said. “So, it just really depends on the landscape, how I look in the fight, what Topuria’s going to do. If he’s going to vacate, then that puts two new challengers to fight for a vacated belt. So, it really depends.

“I don’t really know what’s going to happen in the future, but I’m patiently waiting. Hopefully, I can make my return in April. Maybe fight again in August or September, and get ready to go.”